Lunch bag with game inside

ABSTRACT

A meal container that retains food and beverages while providing the ability to play a game. The meal container is generally a rectangular shaped receptacle that consists of a cover or lid, a base, and an outer wall. The lid and the base are separated by the outer wall and form an opening between them to receive the food and beverages. The lid pivots between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, the lid has an interior surface that displays and provides a game for use by the owner or child. It is also contemplated that different games may be substituted in the lid of the meal container to keep the owner or child entertained.

I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the design and construction of meal containers and, more particularly, to a flexible lunch bag that incorporates a game.

II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0002] Meal containers such as insulated flexible coolers, lunch boxes, and the like are well known in the art and have been primarily used by children to store and carry their foodstuff and drinks until mealtime, which is typically lunch. During lunch, the children remove and enjoy their food and drink. Very often, despite their best efforts, the children are not entertained by their surroundings or are looking for other things to do. A somewhat reserved or shy child, if not engaged in conversation or activities with other children, will also seek other activities to pass time.

[0003] Also, the children carry this meal container from the time they leave for school until the time that they return home. During the day, the child has many opportunities to play. These include riding on the school bus to and from school, recess, lunch, or in between learning sessions. Many activities such as playful wrestling and other physical activities are not permitted for safety reasons. As a result, the child's playing often must be something that he can do while he is sitting in his seat or during recess with his meal container in hand. Thus, there is a need and there has never been disclosed a meal container for holding food and drinks that has incorporated a game for playing and entertainment purposes.

III. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0004] It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a meal container that can hold food and beverages and incorporates a game. A related object of the present invention is to provide a meal container with structural supports to receive the food and beverages and retain a game inside.

[0005] Still another related object of the present invention is to provide a meal container in which the food and beverages do not impede use of the game. A related object of the invention is to provide a game that is easy and safe to use. A further related object of the invention is to provide a game that is fun and/or educational to children.

[0006] Another object of the invention is to provide a meal container that provides insulating properties to keep the food contents fresh and beverages cool.

[0007] Other objects of the present invention will become more apparent to persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

IV. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention is a meal container that retains food and beverages while providing the ability to play a game. The meal container is a rectangular shaped receptacle that consists of a lid, a base, and an outer wall. The lid and the base are separated by the outer wall and form an opening between them to receive the foodstuff and beverages. The lid enables the meal container to have an open position and a closed position. In the open position, the lid has an interior surface that displays and provides means to hold a game for use by the owner or child. It is also contemplated that different games may be substituted in the lid of the meal container to provide a variety of game options and to keep the owner or child entertained.

V. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The Description of the Preferred Embodiment will be better understood with reference to the following figures:

[0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the meal container shown in phantom with the game inside.

[0011]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the meal container in phantom the open position to illustrate the game and storage area for the food and beverages inside.

[0012]FIG. 3 is a front elevational view, with portions removed, showing how the game is mounted to the lid of the meal container.

[0013]FIG. 4 is a front elevational view, with portions removed, illustrating an alternate embodiment of a different game mounted to the lid of the meal container.

VI. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0014] Turning first to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a meal container 10. The meal container 10 is rectangular in shape and has a lid 12, a base 14, and an outer wall 16. Alternatively, the meal container 10 can be any shape including but not limited to square, ovid, oval, triangular, pentagonal, or hexagonal. The base 14 is integrally formed with or joined to the outer wall 16 along the outer circumference of the meal container 10. Alternatively, the base 14 may be sonically welded or stitched to the outer wall 16 and reinforced by a hard plastic seal. The lid 12 has four sides. One side of the lid 12 is sonically welded or stitched to the outer wall 16 and reinforced using a plastic covering or seam 32 (FIG. 2). The remaining three sides of the lid 12 are enabled to be sealed to the outer wall 16 by a zipper 18. When the lid 12 is sealed to the outer wall 16, the meal container 10 is referred to as being in the closed position. In the preferred embodiment, the lid 12 is provided with a game 20 which is more fully discussed below. It is also contemplated that the game 20 may be secured to any portion of the meal container 10, including the base 14 and outer wall 16, and on either the interior or exterior sides.

[0015] The meal container 10 is made of flexible materials. Preferably, the meal container 10 is made of plastic, compressible, foldable type materials and includes all materials that one skilled in the art is aware of for coolers, lunch boxes, and the like. The outer wall 16 has a handle 22 for a convenient means to carry the meal container 10. Preferably, the handle 22 has ends 30 which are welded or cross-stitched to the outer wall 16 to secure the handle 22 to the meal container 10. Alternatively, the handle 22 may be integrally formed to the meal container 10.

[0016] In FIG. 2, the lid 12 is unzipped by zipper 18 and pivoted about the seam 32 away from the outer wall 16. When the lid 12 is raised in this manner, the meal container 10 is referred to as being in the open position. In this open position, the interior of the base 14 and the outer wall 16 form an opening 24 to receive foodstuff. A drink container 26 is located within the opening 24. The drink container 26 receives and retains a beverage drink such as a can of pop, soda, water, fruit type drink, etc. After the beverage drink is inserted into the drink container, the drink container 26 is retained in position within the opening 24 by a strap 28. The strap 28 is a thin flexible material with two opposed ends (not shown), each opposed end is provided with Velcro® to connect one to the other and form an enclosed loop to retain the drink container 28 in position. Preferably, one of the opposed ends is anchored to the outer wall 16 by cross-stitching or may be integrally formed to the outer wall 16.

[0017] As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the game 20 consists of a rectangular case 34, a transparent or translucent screen 36, a cover 38, and a marking utensil 40. The rectangular case 34 and the transparent screen 36 coact to form an integrated unit. The rectangular case 34 is partly filled with a magnetic powder that releasably adheres to the undersurface of the transparent screen 36. The marking utensil 40 is located adjacent to the transparent screen 36 and received within a housing 44. The marking utensil 40 has a magnetic tip 45 at one end and a loop 46 at the other end. A string 48 is connected to the housing 44 and to the loop 46 of the marking utensil 40 to prevent the marking utensil 40 from being displaced from the housing 44 and the game 20. The housing 44 preferably has a length, height, and width which is slightly larger than the marking utensil 40 but not larger than that of the rectangular case 34. The cover 38 is rotatably affixed along a side of the rectangular case 34 and used to protect the transparent screen 36 when the game is not in use. When the game is to be played, the cover 38 is rotated along the affixed axis in a direction away from the transparent screen 36 to reveal the transparent screen 36. The cover 38 is designed with a finger indentation 42 enabling rotation of the cover 38 in relation to the game 20.

[0018] In use, the marking utensil 40 is removed from the housing 44. The magnetic tip 45 of the marking utensil 40 contacts or engages the transparent screen 36, attracting the powder hidden in the rectangular case 34 to the transparent screen 36. The powder creates a visible image on the screen 36 wherever the marking utensil 40 contacts or engages the transparent screen 36. In this manner, the user or child may produce line drawings, letters, numbers, or any variation of sketches or figures on the transparent screen 36, as desired. The game 20 may also be used for educational purposes. For example, as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, the marking utensil 46 is used to produce letters A B C D E on the transparent screen 36 and, thereby, enable the child to practice their alphabet letters.

[0019] When the user desires to clear the transparent screen 36 to create another unique variation on the transparent screen 36, the user simply slides an erasure button 50 from side to side along the entire length of the transparent screen 36. In doing so, the erasure button 50 uses an elongated member (not illustrated) to remove the powder from the screen 36 and deposit it in the space between the rectangular case 34 and the transparent screen 36 for later use. The game 20 is very similar to an Etch-A-Sketch® type game or drawing device and it is contemplated that the game 20 may be used or played in any variety of combination of lines, drawings, sketches, figures, and for any purpose whether playful or educational.

[0020] In the preferred embodiment, the game 20 is attached to the lid 12 by a plastic membrane 52. Alternatively, the game 20 may be attached to the lid 12 by any other means. It is contemplated that this other means includes but is not limited to Velcro®, adhesive, hooks, clips, clamps or clasps, and locking fasteners. The plastic membrane 52 has one edge sonically welded to the lid 12 along the entire edge. The other side or edge of the membrane 52 is free and receives and secures the outer circumference of the game 20. The membrane 52 thus covers at least a portion of the exterior surface of the game 20 which includes the rectangular case 34, the transparent screen 36, and the housing 44 for the marking utensil 40. In this manner, the game 20 may be permanently secured to the lid 12. Preferably, the marking utensil 40, the erasure button 50, and the cover 38 remain uncovered from the plastic membrane 52 so as to enable the game 20 to be played.

[0021] Alternatively, it is contemplated that only select portions of the game 20 are attached for mounting of the game 20 to the lid 12. For example, the edge of the membrane 52 can be welded to the lid 12 at each of the corners causing the four corners of the game 20 to be secured by the plastic membrane 52 while the remaining exterior of the game 20 remains exposed to the user and uncovered by the plastic membrane 52. Alternatively, the plastic membrane 52 may be welded to the lid 12 along three edges thereby forming a sleeve or pocket to frictionally receive the game 20. In this manner, the game 20 may be easily replaced or substituted with another game 54. For illustration purposes, a computer type game 54 is depicted in FIG. 4. This particular game has a viewing display 56, a processing unit 58, a plurality of functional buttons 60 to play or use the game 54, and a protective guard 62. In use, the user engages the functional buttons 60 to effectuate a certain desired result on the viewing display 56 and the processing unit 58 processes the functions to provide the anticipated result. When finished, the protective guard 62 is placed over the processing unit 58, the viewing display 56, and the functional buttons 60 to protect the integrity of the game 54.

[0022] Thus, there has been provided a lunch box container for providing a variety of playful, educational, and/or instructional games. While the invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it in intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A food container, comprising: a base and an outer wall extending outwardly in a substantially perpendicular direction from the base for forming a container interior and an opening opposite the base; a lid having an interior surface and an exterior surface that share a common edge between them, the edge of the lid being affixed to the outer wall and forming a seam between them, the lid covering the opening when in a closed position and allowing access to the container interior when in an open position; a game secured to the food container; and attachment means for securing the game to the food container.
 2. The food container of claim 1 wherein the game is secured to the interior surface of the lid of the food container.
 3. The food container of claim 1 wherein the game is secured to the exterior surface of the lid of the food container.
 4. The food container of claim 1 wherein the game is secured to the base of the food container.
 5. The food container of claim 1 wherein the game is secured to the outer wall of the food container.
 6. The food container of claim 1 wherein the attachment means for securing the game to the food container is a plastic membrane.
 7. The food container of claim 6 wherein the plastic membrane has one edge secured to the food container and another edge open to receive the game.
 8. The meal container of claim 6 wherein the plastic membrane has one edge secured to the food container and another edge covering a portion of the game sufficient to retain the game in position with respect to the food container.
 9. The food container of claim 7 wherein the one edge of the plastic membrane is welded to the interior surface of the lid.
 10. A lunch box, comprising: a bottom, a continuous outer wall having an upper and a lower portion, the lower portion attached to and extending substantially perpendicular to the bottom, a cover pivotally connected to the upper portion, the cover having an inside and an outside surface, the bottom and the outer wall forming an opening within the lunch box, the cover further defining a closed position where the cover engages the upper portion of the outer wall and an open position where the cover is pivoted in a direction away from the outer wall; a game located on the inside surface of the cover facing the opening and the bottom, the game accessible for playing when the cover is in the open position and stored in the lunch box when the cover is in the closed position; and attachment means for securing the game to the inside surface of the cover.
 11. The lunch box of claim 10 wherein the attachment means for securing the game to the inside surface is a plastic membrane.
 12. The lunch box of claim 11 wherein the plastic membrane is welded to the inside surface of the cover.
 13. The lunch box of claim 11 wherein the plastic membrane covers a portion of the game sufficient to secure the game to the inside surface of the cover.
 14. The lunch box of claim 11 wherein the plastic membrane has one edge secured to the lunch box and another edge open to receive the game.
 15. The lunch box of claim 11 wherein the plastic membrane has one edge secured to the lunch box and another edge covering a portion of the game sufficient to retain the game in position with respect to the lunch box.
 16. The lunch box of claim 14 wherein the one edge of the plastic membrane is welded to the inside surface of the cover. 